Application software is a computer-executable program that directs a computer (e.g., personal computer, tablet computer, smartphone, etc.) to perform useful tasks for the benefit of the end user of the computer. Typically, application software is not involved in merely operating the computer itself. Individual application software packages are often called simply an application or an app.
Typically, an app has a user interface (UI) that allows a user (i.e., human) to interact with an application and the computer/network associated with that application. Many apps have a graphical user interface (i.e., graphical UI or GUI), which is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators.
A GUI includes UI controls, which may be called UI elements or UI components. Examples of UI controls include buttons, lists, and text fields. UI controls are commonly used for organizing content displayed in the GUI, for providing a mechanism for user navigation and input, for notifying about app status change, and/or other such events and actions.
When creating an app, a programmer often uses a UI design tool. Often these UI design tools have a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface. Using a WYSIWYG UI design tool, the human designer can see the appearance of the UI while actually designing the UI.
The design time is when the human designer designs the UI using the design tool. The runtime is when the app executes, which is typically after the UI is designed. During runtime, the app's UI controls perform runtime actions such as updating content, interacting with a user, and the like. With conventional design tools, the UI controls do not perform runtime behaviors during design time. Instead, during design time, the UI controls are displayed with no content or static content. In addition, the conventional design tools do not allow user interactions with the UI controls during design time.
The Detailed Description references the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.